Stopper for preventing the refilling of vessels.



No. 755,439. 'PATENTED MAR. 22, 1904'- P. BONNETEAU.

STOPPER FOR PREVENTING THE REPILLING 0F VESSELS.

' APPLICATION FILED AUG/ 19, 1901.

no MODEL.

Patented March 22, 1904.

PATENT FFICE.

PIERRE BONNETEAU, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

STOPPER FOR PREVENTING THE REFILLING OF.VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 755,439, dated March 22, 1904.

Application filed August 19,1901. Serial No. 72,562. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PIERRE BONNETEAU, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at 15 Rue de Richelieu, Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stoppers for Preventing the Refilling of Vessels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved stopper for insertion in the necks of vessels of any kind for holding liquids and of any'diameter for the purpose of preventing such vessels from being refilled after having been once emptied. i

The accompanying drawings illustrate a stopper constructed according to this invention, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section showing the valve closed. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is an end view looking from the inside of the vessel. Fig. 4c is a side elevation of a part of the arrangement, showing the intercepting-diaphragm situated at the mouth of the neck of the bottle and which serves to protect the elements of the stopper. Fig. 5 is a plan of the said diaphragm as seen from the outside. Fig. 6 represents the arrangement inverted, the elements of the stopper being shown in those positions they occupy at the moment that the vessel is being emptied, the valve being then fully open.

In the figures the same reference-letters refer to corresponding parts in the various views.

The stopper, which cannot be tampered with-that is to say, to which access cannot be gained by a thread or other object introduced from outside'into the neck of the bottle or vessel-comprises a heavy ball or sphere e, approximately of the same diameter as the bore of the cylindrical casing a, inclosing the various parts of the stopper. This ball a is inclosed in a chamber forming part of the said casing, its lower pole resting on a disk d, which forms a valve. This Valve seats on a conical seating fixed rigidly to the casing a. The solid valve-spindle r of the valve cl slides W of the fluid.

freely in a hole bored in the center of the guide 8, which is attached to the valve-seating V0 in such a manner that the fluid can freely rise to the seat of the valve. For the purposes of guiding the ball 5 when it moves for regulating the lift of valve d and for hindering any object introduced from the outside reaching the valve a stop is provided, consisting of an annular ring it, fastened to the casing a, and ofa central disk is in one piece with the ring it, and which is formed so as to leave a sufficiently wide annular space between itself and the casing a for the passage The disk in is provided with a spherically-shaped cavity 19, adapted to fit closely to the ball 6 when in contact with it.

To assure inaccessibility of the stopper, an intercepting-diaphragm is provided at the mouth of the casing 60, composed of two rings and a disk 9 Z a, connected together by two side rods z'. The said rings and disk, While affording a passage for the liquid through the spaces f m g, prevent direct access to the interior.

The casing a is inserted in the neck of the bottle and the mouth-ring g molded on its exterior (see Fig. 1) in order that it may rest on the mouth of the neck of the vessel and be sealed or otherwise fixed in position, or the ring 9 may be made flush with the end of casing a, (see Figs. t and 6,) in which case the casing a is sealed in the interior of the neck of the bottle, and thus renders it non-refillable.

To prevent the receptacle once emptied frombeing refilled by inclining it suitably with the neck directed toward the earth and immersing in a liquid, a light ball Z), made of cork, celluloid, hollow metal, or glass, is inserted into the space between the two diaphragms h and Z, which rests 'in the concave part of the ring it and closes its central opening. This ball is provided with a central pin 0, which, sliding easily in its hole in the disk it, allows it to rise easily from its seat It. The floating ball Z) when raised by the entrance of liquid from the exterior comes up against the ring 71 and thus prevents any entry of liquid into the receptacle. The ball 6 after having been raised for emptying the chamber in which the ball a is situated reseats itself in the ring it when any attempt is made to refill the receptacle.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is v 1. In a device of the character described, the combination with alower flat valve d and a heavy sphere-e loading said valve, of a stop limiting the opening of the valve without throttling the flow of the liquid as the vessel is being emptied, consisting of a lower cylindrical part la whose diameter is slightly less than that of the stopper and being hollowed out at its lower face to form a cylindrical cavity for the reception of the sphere e, an annular disk 7a, a central diametrical part j connecting the part it with the disk It, a cork ball i) seating on the disk /L,,&I1Cl a rod carried by the ball I) and guided in an opening in the part 7';

2. In a stopper of the character described, the combination with a tube a, of a valve d, a spindle therefor, a guide for said spindle, a ball 6 upon the valve and whose diameter is slightly less than the bore of the tube, a cylindrical stop concentric with the tube and having its lower face hollowed out, a circular seating it secured to the tube and integral with the stop k, a ball Z2 resting on the seating and having a pin seated in the ball, said pin sliding in an aperture in the stop it and said ball 6 being adapted to coact with the ring it in the manner described to prevent entry of liquid through the said ring, annular rings Z, one above the other and secured to the tube, a flat disk n arranged between the rings and whose diameter is less than the bore of the tube and connected with the said rings, and a rod carried by the disk adapted to serve as a stop for the ball 5, all as and for the purpose set forth. r

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two' witnesses.

PIERRE BONNETEAU. 

